Discovery Gold Rush

Kristi Turnquist October 22, 2014: It showed up as a polite-sounding query in my work email box after I wrote about Friday’s Season 5 premiere of “Gold Rush.” Clicking on the subject line, “question about gold rush,” I found this, from a reader who goes by “Ricki”:

“WHERE ARE DUSTIN AND FRED THIS YEAR?”

Well, Ricki, that’s a good question. Why has this season of the Discovery Channel hit begun with no mention of what happened to Fred Hurt and his son, Dustin Hurt, aka “The Dakota Boys”?

Our friend, the Internet, has some info. On his Facebook page, Fred Hurt posted about the father and son team’s absence from the show, which follows miners — including Oregonians Todd Hoffman and Dave Turin — searching for gold…MORE (OregonLive.com)

Gold Rush, which returns with new episodes Friday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m., follows intrepid gold miners in the Klondike region of Alaska as they wage an all-out war with the elements, the land and, most importantly, each other. Their sights are set on bringing in millions, but the harsh realities are sometimes too difficult to bear. Oh, by the way, bears like to pop up from time to time.

The fifth season will feature some well-known names and new recruits, including Parker Schnabel, Todd Hoffman, Dave Thurin, Jim Thurber and, of course, Tony “The Viking” Beets. Ultra fans can check out Gold Rush’s pre-show The Dirt at 8 p.m.

The Gold Rush faithful can expect a lot of change this season. We have new miners, new claims and new ways of getting gold out of the ground. There are a lot of twists and turns, and I am thrilled to say, more gold than we have ever seen in the show. Our viewers will have more to talk about than ever before. The two-hour premiere is shocking right out of the gate and will have both the faithful and the casual viewer on the edge of their seats.

What are the qualities that make for a good character/personality on Gold Rush? …MORE (HollywoodSoapBox.com)

The new season began Friday October 17 with a new crew. Here’s the official sneak peek

Summary: Returning for Season 5 is Parker, who proved himself in his rookie season mining the Klondike when he brought in over 1,000 ounces of gold worth $1.4 million. This time around, he’s set a lofty goal to double his take. Todd is also back after hitting rock bottom in the jungles of Guyana, South America, where he lost his land, most of his money, and ultimately his crew. Finally, Tony aka “The Viking,” and his team return after buying a $1 million, 75-year-old floating gold dredge he hopes will be his ticket to wealth.

Discovery’s highest-rated series “Gold Rush” is returning for a two-hour special to look back at how Parker Schnabel raked in 1,000 ounces of gold by the end of the show’s fourth season. MORE (Discovery.com)

Questions and speculations on the participation of the Dakota Boys, Fred and Dustin Hurt, on GOLD RUSH this season have been swirling all summer. Discovery Channel has not officially said they would not be there, but they have announced two new pre-season specials, set to air next week, and neither appears to include anything about the Dakota Boys. Fred himself, however, posted in no uncertain terms the answer to the question on his Facebook page on July 28: The Dakota Boys will not be on GOLD RUSH for the upcoming Season Five.

Fred’s biggest reason appeared to be money issues–lack of it–coming from Discovery Channel to him and his crew. His frustration and downright anger were clear in his Facebook post:

Why we are not on “Gold Rush” this fall……..this may be news to many……

I am not rich…..I am a working class guy like most of you. After spending more for four years straight than I made, there was no way for me to continue.

But the main reason is simple……and I quote….”If you want a Miner, call me…….if you want an Actor, pay me like one.”

Dustin and I were “hard to work with”. Interpretation ?……we did not go along with every cocamainy idea the film people dreamed up……

Corporate beancounters also wanted to consolidate their operation after a disastrous South American season. They also layed out mega millions to buy the company filming Gold Rush.

Sssssooo……as we were the ‘Red Headed Stepchild’, we were on our own…….

GOLD RUSH, Discovery Channel’s #1 series, is giving fans a look at the upcoming season, answering that all-important question: Who’s in and who’s out? Last season, things were tough all over in the Hoffman camp, while 18-year-old Parker Schnabel struck out into the world for the first time, and made it count.

Last season, GOLD RUSH fans watched as Todd Hoffman stuck his neck out and rolled the dice, taking his entire operation to the jungles of Guyana, South America, scheming to make a fortune along with his father Jack, Dave Turin, Jim Thurber and a few new additions to his crew. But, alas, things didn’t go quite as planned–as things often do not when it comes to Todd. Team Hoffman hit rock bottom, and ol’ Todd lost his land, most of his money, his crew and perhaps worst of all, his dignity. This season the big questions are (1) Will Todd be able to turn things around? or (2) Will he end up throwing in the towel for good?

While things were tough all over for Team Hoffman, then-18-year-old Parker Schnabel proved his worth in gold–over 1,000 ounces-worth, in fact, worth 1.4 million dollars. It was a tough time for the first-time Klondike boss, no doubt, but he learned a lot, from both his crew and his often cantankerous mentor, Tony Beets. In Season 5, Parker hopes to take it up a notch with a goal of 2,000 ounces; will he reach his ambitious total? Or is he simply caught up in a raging case of gold fever?…MORE (TVRuckus.com)Did you miss season 4: South America- Chilean Gold?

4/19/2013 by Kimberly Nordyke hollywoodreporter.comThe new series not only is part of an expanded programming strategy for the network but also marks the first TV production of its caliber to shoot in Greenland

Animal Planet continues to expand its programming with Ice Cold Gold, which follows eight miners hoping to strike it rich in an unexplored area of Greenland under harsh conditions.

The six-part series, which debuts at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday, is part of the network’s effort to add original series that showcase the second half of its name in addition to its stable of shows about animals.

“It’s certainly more of a concentration on the ‘Planet’ part of our brand name,” says Melinda Toporoff, who executive produces Ice Cold Gold for Animal Planet, which has found success with such animals-aren’t-the-focus shows as Finding Bigfoot and Tanked and has Treehouse Masters coming up May 31. “You really see nature, in this case, as an unpredictable beast in and of itself. It’s obviously not a literal take on an animal, but they were dealing with the elements and how unpredictable they were.” >>MORE (Hollywoodreporter.com)